By Robin E. Shea on June 17, 2011 Posted in Blacklisting,Defamation,Discrimination,Harassment,RetaliationEmployers who provide bad reference information about former employees can be vulnerable to claims for defamation, retaliation, and state anti-blacklisting statutes.
However, there are occasions when it is prudent to provide more than "Name, rank, and serial number" to (1) avoid incurring liability when a bad employee does something really, really bad at his next workplace, and (2) maintain good relations with your fellow employers by providing judicious warnings about the bad apples… Continue Reading

By Robin E. Shea on June 10, 2011 Posted in Americans with Disabilities Act,Discrimination,Family and Medical Leave ActIn a public hearing conducted by the EEOC on leaves of absence and the ADA, an attorney for the agency provided five warnings for employers. This is a smokin' hot subject, particularly in light of the ADA Amendments Act and its regulations, the "new," more activist EEOC under Chair Jacqueline Berrien, and two recent multi-million-dollar settlements in leave-of-absence lawsuits brought by the EEOC against Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Supervalu, Inc. (Jewel-Osco)… Continue Reading

By Robin E. Shea on June 3, 2011 Posted in Discrimination,HarassmentBetween "Weinergate," the indictment of John Edwards, and the relatively old news about Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Arnold Schwarzenegger, it is obvious that sexual harassment and related issues are not going away. How can you, as an employer, know when a sexual harassment case is a "dog" for your company? Here are five signs that you might want to answer "yes, please, and thank you, Sir!" when you get that EEOC request to mediate… Continue Reading

About Us

Robin Shea has more than 20 years' experience in employment litigation, including Title VII and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (including the Amendments Act). Continue Reading

About our Firm

Since 1946, Constangy attorneys have counseled employers, from Fortune 500 corporations to smaller companies across the nation. We have more than 125 attorneys in more than 20 offices throughout the United States. Our attorneys understand what it’s like to walk in clients’ shoes—whether in the board room, the courtroom, or the factory. Just like in our blog, “legalese” is not spoken at our firm; we communicate with our clients in plain English. Clients view us as strategic partners, not just legal technicians.